The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,51

I’d always be home with him.

I pressed my lips to his and lost myself in his taste as I fluttered about his branches until a throat cleared in front of us, reminding me we weren’t alone.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Mags said. “But we’re leaving the city. Gram and his soldiers have engaged the Uldani on the ground, but they don’t have the manpower to sustain it for much longer.”

Nero straightened and peered out his window. “The Drix will be here.”

The would be. I didn’t let doubt enter my mind. Daz would never leave us, not until he had confirmation Nero and I had failed our mission. But that confirmation wouldn’t come. Because we were alive, and we’d succeeded.

I kept waiting for another shoe to drop—we’d gone through an entire damn closet already—as the car zoomed toward the gates. But nothing stopped us, and we burst through the opening out into the open fields surrounding Alazar.

I nearly climbed in Nero’s lap as we stared outside the window. The moonlight shimmered off the blue grass surrounding Alazar. Where were the Drix? Had Nero’s signal not reached them? Suddenly a big smile stretched across Nero’s face and his eyes crinkled. In a voice full of price, he said, “They’re coming.”

“They are?” asked Mags.

“Where?” I pressed my fingers to the glass just as I caught sight of movement along the tree’s edge at the outskirts of the open field.

Nero pointed with a steady finger. “Right there.”

Like an avenging tsunami wave, the trees erupted with a mass of dark figures. War cries lit up the night, overriding the sound of the vehicle’s engine. Hover bike headlights appeared like spotlights, riding over the running soldiers. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Drixonian warriors descended on Alazar with revenge on their tongues and bloodlust in their eyes. I’d never seen anything so awesome in my life.

They poured into the gates in a steady stream. And for the first time in days, I felt the taste of victory.

Nero

Justine tugged on my arm. “Please, stay here.”

“I can’t, cora-eternal,” I said, wiping at her face where I’d injected a vial of medis to deal with her wounds. Mags had a stash of it, and I’d used the rest on myself. My leg would never be the same, but the pain had dulled to a mere discomfort. Later, I’d have one of our healers repair it with stitches. There was no time for that now, so I’d wrapped a spare swath of cloth over the wound in a makeshift bandage.

“I know, but—” she bit her lip, a plea in her eyes.

We had landed near the tree line. Mags and her partner sat in the vehicle while I explained to Justine why I needed to return to the city. “I promised Gram. And I can’t let my brothers fight without me.”

“You’ve been fighting for two days!” She stamped her foot like a chit, her aura chattering away at me so loudly I wished I could swat it away. Gently, of course.

“We’ve been fighting for many cycles,” I said softly. “And it’s so we can live out the rest of our rotation in peace. Not much longer, Justine. And then it’s our time.”

Her jaw clenched, and she ducked her head. “I want to go with you.”

This was my turn to nearly stomp my foot. “Absolutely not. I can’t concentrate in there if I’m worrying about you. The best thing you can do for the cause now is to wait here with Mags where it’s safe. Please. I’ll return to you as soon as I can.”

She pressed her lips together with a sigh. I knew I’d won, but I didn’t feel triumphant. “Without you, I wouldn’t be standing here. Now let me finish this and ensure Gram and his Uldani are safe.”

She nodded. “They saved our asses. Numerous times.”

I snorted. “Yes.”

She dropped a kiss on my lips. “Go on then. Do what you need to do. But you come back to me.”

“I promise.” Those words no longer made me cringe. I was so close to fulfilling my promises to Justine and my mother. I turned to Mags, who was watching us from the driver’s side. “Keep her safe.”

I took off running toward the mass of Drixonians streaming into the city. Fighting was in my blood, and I was in the mood to take off a few Uldani heads. Tossing that flecker who’d hurt my mate off the vehicle wasn’t enough. I needed blood dripping from my machets and the cries of my dying enemies ringing in my